Dragon Ball Z: Saga of Another World
by ThePrinceOfTheSaiyans
Summary: A fanfic that takes place in an AU Dragon Ball Z world and stars OCs. Follow the twisting story of several different characters from many walks of life, as their fates, and the fate of their worlds, are set on a collision course for one and another and disaster. Though it is AU and OC-based, I wish to remain true to the spirit of the world. Warning: Violence and Language
1. The Gathering Storm: Vanil I

Vanil crept quietly through the barracks, carefully placing each footstep as to make as little noise as possible. It was late, too late, well past midnight when he came crawling back in from the city. This planet was alien to him, with a name he could not pronounce, though it went by the designation 'Sno-87'. But damn if it didn't have all the pleasures he could want. The young Saiyan halfblood's head throbbed with the pleasures and vices of the night, his vision blurring before him. He needed sleep, and plenty of it. Of course, sleep was hard to come by these days. He'd be rising bright and early tomorrow, or rather this, morning. Such was life for a member of the Saiyan Division of the Planet Trade Organization.

It was times like these, he did not know why he had joined. Well, he did. Simply put, he was in it for the fighting, the glory. And it was in his blood. His Saiyan mother and his Zarbonian* father had both been a part of the Planet Trade Organization's army. Well, they'd served under one of their many armies together. Vanil had grown up around the military, he'd grown up fighting and training. It was like breathing to him. What else was a young man, the product of two warrior races mingling, supposed to do? Take up knitting? Hardly.

But damn if he did not question his choice at times. As he reached his bunk, the lower half of a double tiered bed he shared with another soldier, he tiredly pulled off his armor and scouter, setting them beneath his bunk, stashing them until morning came. With a muffled groan, he hopped into bed and drew the curtain shut. They were afforded little privacy and he had no doubt the curtain would do little to stop the upper ranks spying and tab keeping, but he was not concerned. He was not doing anything wrong, so he had nothing to hide.

He tossed and turned in bed, but sleep would not come yet. With a sigh, he moved his prehensile tail about, reaching for the personal lighting device he kept in his bunk. The furry, Saiyan tail found it and wrapped around it tight, flicking it on in one swift motion as it was deposited into his hand. He held it above him and flinched as the light burned at his eyes. Gingerly, the halfblood felt around for a mirror that he also kept in his bunk. Come to think of it, he kept a lot of things in his bunk, but that was just how he had to make due. They were not given much personal space for belongings. And some might criticize him for using some of his space for a mirror. Vanil would ignore such people; It was only a small mirror, and Vanil liked to keep tabs on his appearance. Call him vain, and he would admit to it. He took pride in his appearance, along with his strength. Truly, his mixed blood gave way to pride often.

Through squinted eyes, he gazed into the mirror. The black eyes of a Saiyan stared back, but if one searched his face, those were the only Saiyan features that would pop out, aside from the light, peachy skin tone. Instead, he'd taken much after his father: strong facial features that some might describe as princely, and long hair that ran ruby red in color. Of course, his features were marred by the exhaustion of a night out on the town.

"Damn," Vanil whispered, "I look awful". He'd probably regret the night out come morning, but he did not care. He was living for the moment. He'd been given leave for a single night, and he had made the most of it. It would likely be the last chance the young soldier got for a long time: new orders were being given tomorrow morning, and he expected the worse. He always got the worse. With his luck, he'd be sent to some backwater planet with the intent of 'peacekeeping' on one of their Frost Demon** overlord's personal planets.

It was that or scouting, two of the most boring jobs imaginable. He'd signed up for fighting, not to look at the horizon and run back to base to tell other people who and how they should be fighting. But that was likely what he was going to get. Vanil sighed. Another boring assignment. At least it was not a planetary extermination.

That was something he would be less than thrilled about. Planetary extermination. Now that was a ghastly business. Or so he'd been told. Vanil had never actually been on one yet, but he'd heard of them. Essentially, a force of soldiers with land on some planet and conquer it in the name of their leader, the native population all but killed, certainly suppressed. If they were lucky, they'd join the Planet Trade as soldiers. If not, well, the universe would be short one more race.

Vanil did not mind fighting. He reveled in it. But the thought of exterminating an entire civilization, well, that was less palpable to him. Of course, the Frost Demons did not care. Why should they? They claimed to be the strongest race in the universe, and one would be hard pressed to prove them wrong. Their greatest enemies were themselves. The race was divided up into various clans, the powerful clans having their own personal armies and planet collections. Vanil served in one such army, under the command of a Frost Demon called Lord Sno.

And he was not special. Ever since the Saiyans were conquered by the Planet Trade Organization, they'd been integrated into so many armies, Frost Demon lords buying and selling conscription rights and soldiering rights for the Saiyans like candy. Just last month, a childhood friend of his had been recruited into the army of a Frost Demon half a system a way.

And that is how it was for all the races the Frost Demons conquered and kept around. The Frost Demons were playing chess with the world, and they were just pawns. The masters of the universe, he thought, how droll. He suspected the only reason they did not control everything is because they were too busy fighting amongst themselves for money, honor, fame, and whatever else they squabbled about. Vanil did not care. He just wanted to sleep. Sleep and fight. He'd get those things, be satisfied, and he'd either die or live long enough to feasibly retire from service. Not a bad life by any means, though he knew a great many people were not happy being used like tools. And to that, Vanil shrugged it off. So long as his needs were met, why should he care?

Vanil just hoped for a little excitement. And he'd not have to wait much longer, for he felt sleep finally creeping onto him, clouding his eyes and mind, carrying him down into dreams…

(*Zarbonian: The name this work gives to Zarbon's unnamed race.)

(**Frost Demon: The name this work gives to Frieza's unnamed race.)


	2. The Gathering Storm: Satou I

A sharp blade of steel flew overhead, whistling through the air as Satou ducked beneath the attack, bringing her spear down with her. Her breaths were harsh, her heart racing with excitement, adrenaline running through her veins. She felt as if electricity were running through her, as if there were a live wire keeping her moving. Satou felt alive. Now, she thought, best is she could keep that going.

As the blade cleared the space above her, she jumped back, twirling the shaft of her weapon above her like a baton. Her eyes locked on her opponent: an older man, heavily built and clad in the blue uniform of a rival school. She felt eyes on her; Her foe's, and the crowd that was watching them. And perhaps the heaviest gaze of all was that of her master's: Lady Shio. Her opponent grunted. It seemed he was feeling the effects of their bout, just as much as she was. Satou only hoped that he'd give out first.

The man dashed at her, sword raised high over his head. Satou's eyes widened. Perhaps he'd not go down as easily as she had hoped. In a flash, he was on her, slamming the sword down towards the girl. Satou jumped to the side, barely dodging the blade. If she had more time, she'd breathe a sigh of relief; Satou was tough, but that kind of strike would still hurt her, maybe even kill her. And Satou was not aiming to die today.

The man jack knifed the blade in its descent. It swung through the air. Satou hissed and panicked, bringing the wooden shaft of her spear between her and the blade. The blade clashed with the hard wooden shaft of the spear, a dull thud resounding through the air. The man pushed, trying to force the blade through the wood, but it held strong. Sweat poured down Satou's face as she struggled to force the blade back.

"Just give up," grunted her foe.

"No!" Exclaimed Satou through gritted teeth, "Not yet!"

"Then I'll make you!" Roared the man. With what seemed to be a surge of hidden power, the man pulled the sword back and swung again, chopping at the pull. Shit, thought Satou. She jumped, pushing off the ground with her spear, right before the sword cleaved it in two. She twirled in the air and came down behind him, weaponless now.

"What are you going to do now, girl?" Asked the man, a wild grin on his face. Satou would not give him an answer, more concerned with her impending injuries. Mutters ran through the crowd, shock and surprise on the lips of the gathered students, either side alike. It seemed as if the battle had been decided.

"Satou!" Came a sharp, harsh voice from the crowd. The girl's ears perked up. She knew that voice and knew it well. It was Lady Shio's. "Satou," came the voice again, "You're not out of options. You still have a trick up your sleeve!"

Satou nodded, but a grimace broke out over her face. She did indeed have a trick up her sleeve, but she'd not wanted to use it. If she had, the battle would have been over before it began, and where was the fun in that? But now, her back was against the wall. If she did not do something, she'd be a little bit shorter by the end of this. It seemed as if Satou had no choice...

The man brandished his blade and laughed, his laugh deep and breathless. "Tricks?" He chuckled, "What tricks will do you any good against the might of my sword? I've trained in the Hawk School for well over a decade now. I'm strong, did you see how I split the shaft of your spear? I-"

And Satou finally had enough. She raised her hand. A soft, purple glow came over the square arena in which they were fighting. Energy crackled in the palm of her hand. A gasp went through the crowd, but it was quickly silenced by the loud crack that sounded through the air as the purple bolt of energy shot from her hand. The purple streak shot at the man, his eyes widening as he realized just what he was in for. In a desperate attempt, he raised his blade and swung. Were it not energy, it might have worked. But instead, the ki split through the blade and drilled into the man.

The man in blue flew back and crashed into the padded floor of the ring. Satou huffed a sigh of relief, the only sound in the room aside from the labored breathing of her fallen foe. That was that, it seemed. A pity it had come to this. She'd not wanted to use ki against a foe who could not, there was no honor in it, but she'd been left with little choice.

"So," called out Lady Shio, "Hawk Master, it seems that my best student has bested your best student."

A balding man with a mop of graying hair and a bear to match rose. He stood out with a splendid blue uniform, much more complex than that of the others in blue. The Hawk Master, Satou realized. The man cleared his throat and spoke, "It seems so Lady of Snakes," said the Hawk, using her master's formal title, "Though I was not aware that your student was capable of using ki. Perhaps if I had known, we could have arranged a much more… fair match."

Shio laughed. "The agreement was our most skilled students. And Satou is certainly my most skilled. Perhaps you should train your students a bit more."

"Perhaps I care too much about my students," barked the Hawk Master, "You know as well as I do that ki is a dangerous force to master. Done poorly, it could kill the user."

Satou frowned as she stepped down out of the ring. She knew this, but she still did not like hearing it said. Knowing how close she came to death with her studies was a less than happy thought. Of course, she'd just danced with death in the form of a blade, but still. It was not pleasant, and even less pleasant to hear it from the mouth of a man who had been built up as a rival.

"Hawk Master," cooed Shio, "You should know I do nothing poorly. And neither do my students."

The Hawk Master grunted. "Pride before the fall, Lady," spat the man, "Remember that come this time next year. The Hawk School is capable of much more."

"Same time next year?" Asked Shio, "Sounds lovely. I'm certainly looking forward to it."

"As am I," growled the Hawk Master. And with that, the Hawk Master made for the door of the small wooden building the bout had taken place in. "Hawk School! With me!" He shouted. And on command, a wave of blue uniforms rustled out after him, a pair of them hoping in the ring to retrieve their fallen fighter."

Shio laughed again. "I suppose we shouldn't waste anytime. Snake School, let's move." And they followed suit, grey following after blue. As they walked, Shio came close to Satou. The Lady leaned in, strands of black, now graying, hair brushing against Satou's tanned skin, mixing with Satou's own brown hair. "Satou," she whispered, "Join me in my cart on the way back. There is much we must discuss."

Satou quickly nodded. "Yes, my lady," she said, her voice steeled with obedience.

"Excellent," said Shio, "Oh, and excellent job in the spar, Satou. A shame you had to use ki, but these things are unavoidable sometimes. After he split your spear, I knew it had to be done."

"Maybe not, my Lady," insisted Satou, "Perhaps I could have-"

"Shh," interjected the Lady of Snakes, "No sense in talking about what could have been. All that matters is you won. And that you handled your ki quite well."

Satou stood in silence for a moment. Suddenly, she spoke, "Yes, my lady, you're right. Thank you, my lady."

Shio tutted. "I swear, Satou, you're the most formal girl I've ever met. Let your hair down sometimes. Live life. Smile. It's what makes us human."

"Yes, my lady."

"Oh you," sighed Shio, "I swear, one of these days, I'll break you out of your shell. Now, to my cart. Come on now."


End file.
